1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light module of a lighting device of a motor vehicle, the light module comprising a semi-conductor light source for emitting light and at least two optical elements for deflecting the light beams emitted by the light source arranged in succession in the beam path of the emitted light with the object of producing a pre-defined light distribution on a lane in front of the motor vehicle.
Further, the invention relates to a lighting device with at least one such light module. The lighting device comprises a housing, which is preferably made of a synthetic material and has a light passage opening in the light exit direction which is sealed by a transparent cover disk. The at least one light module is arranged in the interior of the housing, either rigidly fastened on the housing or moveably arranged around a horizontal and/or vertical axis, so that by moving the at least one light module relative to the housing a variable headlight range or a bending light functionality can be realized.
The lighting device is preferably a headlight for a motor vehicle. The light module thus serves the purpose of production of a headlight function (e.g. passing light, high beam, fog light, dynamic bending light, adaptive light distribution such as town light, country road light or motorway light) or of part of said function.
2. Description of the Related Art
A lighting device of the initially mentioned type with a single light module is known for example from EP 0 126 281 A1, wherein a first and a second optical element of the light module are both configured as reflector elements. In the beam path between the first and second reflector element the light module has a diaphragm arrangement which screens a portion of the light reflected from the first reflector element and prevents it from hitting the second reflector element, so that the light module produces a dimmed light distribution with an essentially horizontal light/dark boundary. The light distribution is for example a fog light or a passing light with a straight or asymmetrical light/dark boundary. A light source of the light module is in the process arranged in a first focal point of the first reflector element. A first focal point of the second reflector element is congruent with a second focal point of the first reflector element. An edge of the diaphragm arrangement is arranged in the first focal point of the second reflector element. The edge of the diaphragm arrangement is used to form the light/dark boundary of the dimmed light distribution. The first reflector element has an elliptical shape in a vertical section and/or in a horizontal section. The second reflector element is formed by conical segments, or points or sections of the second reflector element can be defined as a free-form reflector whose reflecting surface can be mathematically described. The known light module does not have a lens element, so that the variability of the light module with respect to the achievable magnification factors by which an image of the light source for the realization of the light distribution can be enlarged is restricted to the magnification factors achievable through the use of the two reflector elements.
From EP 1 193 440 A1 a lighting device is known with a single light module, which in a first exemplary embodiment has a reflector element as a first optical element and a lens element as the second optical element. The lens element is used for ‘correction’ of the light distribution, for example in horizontal direction. The lens element manipulates the light beams without attempting to retain the imaging functionality. A second exemplary embodiment is similar to the light module known from EP 0 126 281 A1. In particular, the known light module comprises an elliptical first reflector element, a diaphragm arrangement and a parabolic second reflector element. In contrast to EP 0 126 281 A1, a surface extension of the diaphragm arrangement is aligned along (and not perpendicular to) an optical axis of the first reflector element and forms a reflecting surface, so that a dimmed light distribution is formed with a light/dark boundary, by reflecting the corresponding light beams in the direction of the second reflector element instead of only dimming them.